Inuyasha: Changing Both Worlds
by thesemimaster
Summary: It has been several years since Naraku was defeated, and a couple of the characters are trying to continue their lives. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any of the characters from the manga or the show. This story is set several years after the manga is complete. If you haven't read the manga to see the conclusion to the series, this story could spoil it for you. One last thing, I hope my Japanese-like names sound okay and don't translate into weird phrases.

* * *

The classroom was silent while some of the students were taking their test. Some had already finished and were waiting patiently for the bell to ring so that they could go home. The teacher looked at the clock. 'Only ten more minutes,' she thought, nervously adjusting her her long black hair. 'I hope everyone gets finished.' She went back to planning the next week's lessons. She had only started teaching two weeks before and was having to get used to the job. 'I just have to make sure they learn better than I did when I was a student,' the woman thought with a small smile. She was almost too nervous to think about next week. If everybody failed this test, how could she continue teaching them.

She jumped as the bell rang. She stood up and raised her voice so that she could be heard over the shuffling of feet and papers as the kids got ready to leave. "Turn your papers over and I will have them graded by the beginning of next week. Please start reading the next chapter of your history books for a pop quiz on Monday."

Most of the students cheerfully waved at their teacher as they left the classroom. A couple left the room like they were going to a funeral. She wasn't looking forward to grading their papers. She began collecting the tests from each of the desks. Just as she was picking up the last test she heard a knock that came from the door. She looked and saw a young man about her age. "Yes, can I help you?"

He stepped forward. "Kagome Higurashi, you don't recognize me?"

Kagome looked at him closely. "Hojo!" she cried. "It's been a long time since I saw you last."

Hojo smiled. "It's been too long." He stepped further into the room. "You teach my niece, Motoki. I thought it might be you she was talking about so I had to come and see for myself."

"Ah, Motoki's your niece," Kagome said. "I shouldn't be surprised. So far she seems to be the brightest in the class." Kagome nervously shuffled her feet. "So, how have you been lately?"

"I've been doing great. I'm running our shop right now and we're having great business. You should stop by sometime if you want." Hojo suddenly realized what he said. "You don't have to buy anything if you don't want to. You can just come by to look or to visit."

Kagome smiled. "I might just do that."

"So, how long have you been teaching?"

Kagome laid the stack of papers on her desk and leaned against it. "I've only been teaching for two weeks. I always thought the students had it rough, I never thought the teachers had that much to worry about. I wish I had shown a little more appreciation to my teachers."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Kagome." Hojo said, happily. Then his face got serious. "I came to talk to you shortly after we graduated, but your mother said you had went to live abroad. It made me sad that you didn't say goodbye."

"Sorry, it all happened pretty suddenly," Kagome said. "I hardly had time say bye to my family."

"You were gone for three years," Hojo said. "What made you come back?"

"Eh," Kagome hesitated. She couldn't tell him all the details, but she didn't want to lie to him. "My situation changed. It started off well over there, but I decided it would be best for everybody if I came here to live here again."

"I see," Hojo said. "I don't think your mother said what country you were living in. Would it be okay if I asked?"

Kagome's face drooped, then snapped back to normal. "Uh, sure, it's okay if you ask."

Hojo gave Kagome a few moments to answer before asking, "Um, so what country did you live in for those three years?"

"Oh, um, I, uh, I lived in-" Kagome had begun to stutter, when the two of them were interrupted by a loud voice saying, "Hey, Kagome, we're all starving. How long is it going to take you to finish up today?"

The two of them looked over towards the door and saw an unusual looking man standing there. He had long white hair and golden eyes. He was wearing normal clothes for modern Japan, including a baseball cap. Two young kids, a boy and a girl, were holding onto his back.

Kagome gave the three of them a big smile. "Inuyasha, you're a bit late today, aren't you?"

"Heh," Inuyasha grunted. "Hiro's teacher wanted to speak to me. She said that he had been fighting with one of the other students. She scolded me when I insisted in knowing who won. It wouldn't have killed the old bat to let me know if my son could kick some ass."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. "What have I told you about using bad language? If you keep acting that way in front of the children, there's no telling what type of hooligans they'll become. You should discourage them from fighting and acting foolish. We don't need any more of that kind in this family."

"But, Mama," Hiro started. "Dan said that my dad looked like a freak. I told him that he shouldn't say that so he pushed me. I just pushed back by instinct. The teacher didn't see him push me."

Kagome's face softened as her and Inuyasha exchanged a glance. "We'll talk about it later." She gave Hiro a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Then she did the same to her daughter, Miori. "Would you all wait for me outside on the playground. I'll be out as soon as I can."

"Sure," Inuyasha said. "We'll be waiting." He nodded at Hojo then took off out the door.

Kagome stuck her head out the door and called, "No running in the hall, Inuyasha!" She saw her husband slow down to a quick pace as he turned to go down the stairs. She sighed and walked back over to Hojo.

"Was that your husband and children?" Hojo asked, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Yeah, that's Inuyasha and my children. My son, Hiro, is seven, and my daughter, Miori, is six. They're very spirited at times." She made a face. "They sure didn't get that from me."

"I'm glad that you're happy," Hojo said, a little too cheerfully.

Kagome gave Hojo a smile. "I'm sure you've got a wife and kids by now, right?"

Hojo looked embarrassed. "No, I've actually been too busy with college and the store to find a wife." Kagome got the feeling that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find one soon." She sat down behind the desk. "I really enjoyed seeing you again, Hojo, but I really need to start on these tests. Don't worry, we'll stop by the shop sometime. With two children and an irresponsible husband we can never have too much medical supplies."

Hojo gave Kagome a friendly wave. "It was nice to see you again, too. Bye." Hojo quickly retreated through the door.

'Wow,' Kagome thought. 'I didn't expect to meet Hojo again. I hope he is able to get over me pretty soon. Now I better get to work.' She started to grade her first test. As she finished grading it, she felt as if a small weight came off her shoulders. She smiled as she wrote '98' at the top of the paper. 'At least there is one student I didn't fail.' She continued to grade the papers while her family waited for her outside.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome stepped outside of the school and looked up at the late afternoon sky. It had only took her an hour to grade the tests and finish up her other work. They still had over an hour before it got dark. They wouldn't have to rush home like she thought they might have to. She looked over at the school playground. There were several kids still playing ball. Her eyebrow twitched. There was also a grown half-demon playing, too. Kagome sighed. Sometimes she didn't know if he was being an observant father or if he was just acting like a big kid. She walked over and sat down on a nearby bench. She knew that he could smell her, but she let him play for a while longer. After another five minutes of throwing the ball around, Inuyasha started over her way.

"Hey, Kagome," he said with a big smile. He bent down and gave her a quick kiss. He crouched down beside the bench so that he could talk to her.

Kagome thought about asking him to sit on the bench, but she knew that he would enjoy sitting on the ground much better. "Should we go ahead and go home? It's only an hour until it's nighttime."

He looked confused for a moment. Then he laughed. "The new moon's tomorrow night, not tonight. If we're going to rush home, we should rush because I'm starving."

Kagome lightly slapped her forehead. "You're right, it is tomorrow night. Yeah let's go ahead and go home. I'm a bit hungry myself."

Inuyasha stood up and yelled, "Hey, you two. You're mother's treating us to Wacdonald's tonight."

He felt a hand slap him in the back of the head. "I don't recall saying anything about that," Kagome's voice said in her eerily calm way. Inuyasha had once thought that voice that sounded calm meant that she was calm. He had eventually realized it meant she was really angry, usually at him.

"I-If you let us eat out tonight, I promise to cook supper tomorrow night," Inuyasha managed to get out. He turned around and saw his wife's smiling face.

"Deal," she said, patting the top his head like a dog.

Hiro and Miori finally arrived beside their parents. They had recognized their mother's angry mood and had taken as much time as they could in walking across the playground.

"Did you two have fun?" Kagome asked.

The two children nodded their heads. Miori spoke up. "Daddy's the best ball player there is in the world."

"Yeah, I am ain't I," Inuyasha said, rolling up his sleeve and showing his children his muscle. They giggled as he acted like he was really straining.

Kagome laughed. "It isn't that hard to be good playing against children."

"C'mon, don't ruin my image," Inuyasha whined. He knelt down to let the kids get on his back. They quickly crawled on and took hold.

Kagome frowned. "You really shouldn't carry them everywhere on your back."

"It don't hurt nothin' for them to ride on their father's back. They're already the strongest kids in the neighborhood and school. They can afford to let me carry them around." He gave her a big smile. "You can ride too, just like the old days."

She laughed. "I don't think this world needs to see a woman riding around on a man's back with their children. They would just be told to buy a car."

"Then this world should change." The conversation dropped off there. Inuyasha didn't mean anything by what he said, but they would occasionally say something that would bring the conversation to a halt. Hiro and Miori exchanged glances. They didn't understand what was going on, but they could tell when something uncomfortable was going on between their parents.

They continued on to the restaurant in silence.

* * *

"I don't understand why we can't fix food that fast at home," Inuyasha said as they left Wacdonald's. "We ask for it and we have it in just a minute. At home, it takes an hour sometimes before we can eat."

Kagome wearily ran her hand through her hair. "I know I've told you before. They fix the food before anybody orders it. Then they keep it warm until they give it to the customers. That's why they call it fast food."

Inuyasha thought for a moment. "I still don't get it." He looked over his shoulder at Hiro. "Do you get it?" He nodded. Inuyasha turned and asked Miori, "How about you?" She giggled and nodded. "I guess I just don't understand. I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by my smart family."

Kagome reached up and gently grabbed hold of the side of Inuyasha's cap. "Well the sooner we get home, the sooner you can start getting smarter." She ignored his yelp of pain as she started dragging them towards their house.

* * *

It was around eleven at night when the kids were finally put to bed. Kagome came downstairs and saw Inuyasha still sitting at the table. He was scratching his head as he was starring at Miori's schoolbook. "I still don't understand much of this math stuff. The history I get and the grammar I can stumble through, but this stuff just seems like garbage. I see why you had such a hard time every time you had to come back and study."

"I'm glad you're trying, Inuyasha," Kagome said, plopping down in the chair opposite. "Sometimes teaching others is the best way to learn. You make a good test subject for the kids."

"I'll get some of this eventually," he said, closing the book. "I wasn't joking earlier when I said I'm glad to be in such a smart family."

"I'm not that smart," Kagome said, embarrassed.

"No, I'm sure that you are. Speaking of that, how did the class do today on their first test?"

She smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. "Everybody passed. There were three close calls, but everybody passed."

Inuyasha stood up in the chair. "We should celebrate," he announced. "Perhaps tomorrow night?" He hopped down and nuzzled up against Kagome.

Her face turned serious. "I don't know," she said. "We've talked about this before. We should wait until Hiro and Miori are a little older to have another. Time and money is strapped as it is."

"You're doing good at being a teacher. We should have enough of money. If not, I'm sure I can find someplace I can work at where I won't draw any attention to myself. And if we still can't afford it, I'll hunt our food and build us a new home where we don't need money." He looked up at her with a serious face.

She couldn't help but smile. "I never expected you to take to fatherhood this strongly."

"I didn't know I would either. It just happened that way."

Kagome sighed. "Wait one year and then we'll talk about it again."

Inuyasha knew that was the last of the argument. "Alright, we'll wait another year. You had just better not look like old Kaede when we decide to have another one."

She laughed at the thought. "Don't worry, I won't make you wait that long."

* * *

Kagome woke up in the middle of the night. She felt that the bed was empty. She knew that would worry some wives, but she always knew where he went. She got up and walked across the hallway to her children's bedroom. She opened the door a crack and looked inside. She saw the sleeping figures of her children under the covers. She also saw the form of her husband sitting in his usual place on their dresser. He almost always chose to sleep in the kid's room so that he could be close if they needed him. It reminded her of how he would always protect the group back when they were fighting Naraku.

She closed the door and went back in their room. She was happy that she had such a protective husband. 'I bet all mothers wish they had someone like him to watch out for their families,' she thought as she laid back down. It didn't take very long for her to get back to sleep.

If the lights had been on earlier, Kagome would have noticed something missing from the room. The missing object was always mounted up on the wall above the bed so that Inuyasha would know where it was if he needed it.

All four of them continued to sleep peacefully. None of them knew that Tetsaiga had been taken.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: This is the first time in a while that I've written an action scene, so hopefully it's okay. You can tell me if it's not. Also, I hope the monster is interesting and original. I'll take good and bad input on it, too. Another thing, a detail at the end is dealt with in one of the movies, but since it didn't happen in the manga, I chose to ignore it so I didn't have to get Sesshoumaru involved.

Just to make sure nobody is confused, most of this part is a flashback.

* * *

Around five hundred years earlier.

The first thing Inuyasha felt as he woke up was somebody laying beside him. He opened his eyes and looked over at Kagome. In the faint light he saw her contented smile on her sleeping face. He lay there for a few minutes until he knew he couldn't sleep anymore. Then he kissed his wife on the forehead and then stood up. After putting on his pants on and grabbing Tetsusaiga, he quietly stepped outside of the hut.

It was completely dark except for a few torches lit here and there in Kaede's village. He looked up to where the moon normally was. It was the first time that he hadn't felt afraid of being in his human form. He knew that the village was one of the safest places around, especially since Naraku had been defeated six years earlier. He sat down and leaned his back up against his and Kagome's hut. He closed his eyes and smiled as he remembered just a couple of hours before.

He jerked as a small noise interrupted his pleasant memories. He grabbed the hilt of Tetsusaiga and prepared for the worst as a figure approached from the darkness. He sniffed the air and instantly wished for his demon sense of smell.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha," the figure said. "It's just me."

Inuyasha relaxed. "Miroku, you'd best be glad I didn't take your head off."

Inuyasha heard him laugh. "I am glad to still have my head." They both knew that if Tetsusaiga had been drawn, it would have been a dull blade that couldn't cut anything.

"May I sit down?"

"Sure go ahead."

Inuyasha saw the figure sit down beside him. Inuyasha expected Miroku to say something, but silence continued between the two of them for a few minutes. Finally Miroku said, "So is there something you want to talk about? To tell me, man to man?"

Inuyahsa tried to think if there was something that he was supposed to tell Miroku. Finally he said, "No, I don't guess there's anything I need to tell you."

"You don't remember a few years ago right after me and Sango got married? About how I told you the details of it?"

"What's 'it.' What are you talking about."

"You know, when a man and a woman love each other. Then, when they're alone, they become more aquainted, more intimate with each other."

Inuyasha starred a Miroko's outline. "You mean sex, right."

Miroku laughed. "Yeah, I mean sex. You remember how I was nice and told you all the details about mine and Sango's encounter the day after we got married. I'm here to collect on our brotherly man-to-man relationship. I'm here for your details."

"I don't remember you telling me anything. And I'm sure I didn't ask about it either," Inuyasha said.

He saw Miroku's head droop as a false tear fell from his face. "I poured my heart out to you and you don't even remember. Were you not even paying attention?"

"I doubt I was. My mind was wandering a lot those days."

Miroku raised his clenched fist. "I remember describing my happiest moments to you, and I demand details of your happiest moments. As comrades in both battle and love and as your closest friend. "

There was a long silence. "How do you know anything happened that had details?"

"Well both Sango and I know what you two decided a couple weeks ago, and tonight was the first night you two could act on it. Besides, the two of you were acting bizarre all day long. The whole village could tell something was going on between you two. Especially when Kagome just started laughing at my horrible joke and couldn't quit for several minutes."

Inuyasha slumped down a little in embarrassment. "Great."

"So, fill me in here," Miroku said. "How was it?"

After a few moments, Inuyahsa finally said, "It was great."

Miroku just starred at Inuyasha's figure. "You're telling me that you experienced the complete consummation of love between a man and a woman, and you can summarize it in one word."

"Really great? I hope that's good enough for you. The real details remain between me and my wife. If you really have to know, you can ask her."

"I think I will," Miroku said, starting to get up.

Inuyasha grabbed his robe. "Don't go in there, she's still naked." He instantly regretted those words.

"Don't worry, if me and you are almost brothers, then that makes her like my sister. She won't think anything about me seeing her in such a natural state."

Inuyasha let go of the monk's tunic. "Alright go ahead. I'll just go get Sango and you two can get the details together."

Miroku leaned back against the hut. "I'll wait and ask her tomorrow."

Inuyahsa patted Miroku on the shoulder. "That's much better."

They sat in silence and starred up at the stars in the dark sky for a few minutes. "So do you think you two made the right decision?" Miroku said, breaking the silence.

"About what?"

"About your children being being fully human. Do you think it's right to take away half of their lineage?"

"I believe that it's the best idea. I want them to feel like they belong somewhere." Inuyasha starred into space as he recalled his childhood. "My mother loved me and I guess my father did too, in his own way, but it wasn't enough. I never felt that I fit into any place. It wasn't until I met Kikyo and then Kagome that I really believed that I could belong someplace. I just don't want to make anybody else got through that again."

"Your suffering is what made you who you are," Miroku said. "If you had it easy all your life, you wouldn't appreciate how lucky you really were. Suffering is just another part of experience. You and Kagome will provide a caring home for them, and this village should accept them without much fuss. Past that, you might ought to let them make the decision of where their paths lie."

"I don't know," Inuyasha said. "That makes sense, but what happens if they aren't accepted. What if everyone scorns them and wants nothing to do with them? Even worse, what if they suffer the same weaknesses that I do?" He held up Tetsusaiga. "There's only one Tetsusaiga. What if they get into trouble and their demon powers come out completely? What if they lose control and get innocent blood on their hands? I can't let any of that happen."

Miroku nodded. "Alright, it sounds like you really thought it through. I know you will protect them with your life. It's just that when their older, you should teach them how to protect themselves. They should still learn through experience."

Inuyasha was silent for a while. "Thank you, Miroku. I'm glad we had this talk."

The two of them stood. "I'm glad I could help," Miroku said. "I think I'll say 'goodnight' to Kagome real quick."

Inuyasha quickly stepped in front of the door. "You can say it in the morning."

"But then I'll have to say 'good morning.' I want to say goodnight."

"Say it to me then."

Miroku's shoulders drooped. "Fine. Goodnight, then."

"Yeah, see you in the morning," Inuyasha said, starting back in the hut.

"You're really killing me, Inuyasha. See if I ever help you--" his voice cut off, as his outline suddenly jerked rigidly.

"What is it?" Inuyasha demanded, stepping back out and instinctively placing a hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt.

"A demonic aura, on the other side of the village." The two of them took off to see what was going on.

'The village doesn't feel like it's under attack,' Inuyasha thought as he and Miroku ran through the village. There was no sign of anyone. It wasn't unusual considering everybody should be sleeping. He wished once again for his normal sense of smell and his quicker legs. It truly felt dark when he couldn't smell his surroundings. Just at the moment he thought Miroku might have been over-reacting, they both heard a boom and were knocked to the ground as the ground shook.

As they climbed to their feet, they noticed that a couple of huts had caught fire several yards away. The sight that met them in the flickering flames almost froze their hearts. A tall creature stood amongst the ruins of a hut that belonged to an elderly couple. They could see every detail of his face. He only had one gray eye that covered his forehead. His bright red hair seemed to merge with the flames. The man's mouth was curled into a cruel smile, exposing two fangs that protruded so they overlapped his lower lip. His pale skin was covered in protective scales. He wore a green robe that fell all the way to his ankles.

"Do you know what that is, Miroku?" Inuyasha asked.

"No, I've never seen anything like that. What is it doing?"

The creature dragged the couple out of their ruined house. "Thank you," the old man said, excitedly. He squinted up at the demon as he tried to reach up to take it's hand.

His wife was slower to show gratitude to this strange creature. "Did you have something to do with burning down our house?"

The creature gave an evil smile to the couple. His eye flashed from gray to yellow, and suddenly the couple fell to the ground.

The creature turned his eye to Inuyasha and Miroku. Then it started speaking in a raspy voice. "Where is the half-demon I sensed before? When I awoke two days before, I sensed a half-demon here. I must kill him. I must take his powerful soul. I will accept nothing less."

"And what if he's not willing to cooperate with a freak like yourself!" Inuyasha yelled. "What if he says that he's going to kick your ass!"

"Inuyasha, calm down," Miroku said. "You're in no condition to fight. You should leave this to me." He reached up his sleeve and pulled out some sutras.

"What are you talking about? A child could handle this bastard easily," Inuyasha said, drawing Tetsusaiga. He pointed it at the demon. "You'd just better be glad that this is a bad night for me. You might live a few seconds longer." He charged at the unwelcome monster. Just as he was about to hit it with the dull Tetsusaiga, the old man jumped up and pushed Inuyasha in the chest, sending him crashing down at Miroku's feet.

"There is no way a pathetic human can defeat the immortal Atrene," the demon said.

Inuyasha struggled to sitting position. "There's no way that old coot could have that much strength. He's being controlled by that thing."

"Get back," Miroku said, preparing to throw the sutras.

"Those will have no effect on me," Atrene said. "There is no way to truly kill me. Many have failed already. You will only add yourselves to the body count."

Miroku took aim with a sutra and threw it. Atrene laughed. "I can tell already that it will miss me." The sutra hit the old man square in the chest and only knocked him back a step. The old man continued to stare ahead with a blank look. "Kukuku," Atrene laughed. "I won't tell you again that you are defenseless. The only way to lift my influence from this human is to kill me or the one who is being controlled."

Miroku put the sutras back into his sleeve. "Damn," he muttered. "Do you have any ideas, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha spat on the ground in frustration. "No, nothing that would work. If it was closer to morning, we might could delay him until my powers come back and I can make good use of Tetsusaiga, but dawn's still over two hours away."

"Regardless, we have to try and hold him back," Miroku said, glancing back at the village. The villagers had woken up and were running in the opposite direction. "We have to give them as much time to escape as possible."

Inuyahsa nodded and forced himself to stand up. "I just hope that Kagome and Sango are escaping, too."

At that moment, a spinning blur suddenly flew into their vision and zeroed in on Atrene. The demon barely noticed it in time to move out of the way. The blur flew past him and circled around and flew back to its source.

"Miroku, Inuyasha, are you okay?" a female's voice called.

"We're fine, Sango," Miroku yelled. He looked in the direction that the Hiraikotsu had come from and saw his wife running towards them. "We can handle this. You go ahead and get away from here."

"You don't look like you're handling it," she said, coming up beside them. She handed Miroku his staff. "I thought you might need this."

"Thanks" he said. Miroku looked down at his right hand. 'It's been a while since I actually missed the Wind Tunnel,' he thought to himself.

Sango turned her gaze towards their enemy. Her expression got even grimmer as she closely examined their opponent. "We're in serious trouble," she said.

"Do you know what he is?" Miroku asked.

She nodded. "My father once told me of a demon known as the known as a necrotoma that matches his description. No one in our village had ever seen one, so we all believed they were a legend. It does make sense though, few would know of them for certain. There are only supposed to be a handful in existence. They can steal demon's and human's souls from their bodies and use it as an anchor to the living world. If they have a soul they can anchor, then even if you kill them, they will come back to life."

Inuyasha snarled. "Then how the hell are we supposed to beat somebody who can't die for good?"

"It's bad, but not as horrible as it sounds. The necrotomas are very powerful, but they aren't impossible to beat. And it isn't instantaneous when they come back. If they steal the soul of a powerful demon, they can come back in just a few short years. If they take the soul of a human, it could take them up to six hundred years to come back. The real problem, from what the stories say, is that they can control the bodies of humans. Once they get someone under their control, the only way to remove the influence is to kill the source, the necrotoma. If you kill the human, though, their soul automatically becomes an anchor until a better soul is found, or the necrotoma dies. Then the cycle is done again and again."

"So, if we're to really beat this thing, we have to kill it without killing anybody under it's control?" Inuyasha asked. "Sounds fun to me." He started to charge at the beast when Miroku grabbed hold of his arm.

"Remember just a minute ago," Miroku said. "A charge without the power of Tetsusaiga will do no good. The only thing it will accomplish is your death. Let me and Sango take care of this." He took a firm grip on his staff. "Sango, try to hit him with the Hiraikotsu. I'll try to keep him in one place so he can't dodge."

Sango frowned, but nodded. "Just don't be in the path of the Hiraikotsu."

"Don't worry, I don't plan to die for a while," Miroku said, giving his wife a comforting smile.

"Hey, guys, I can keep the old man under control," Inuyasha said. "I refuse to be a helpless bystander."

"Very well," Miroku said. "Now!"

Miroku and Inuyasha ran at their targets. The old man started to protect his master, but as he began to move he felt something grab his sleeve. He turned around just he felt a fist hit him in the face. "Sorry old-timer," Inuyasha said, as the man crashed to the ground.

Meanwhile, Miroku had tried to jab the end of the staff into the monster's gut, but he felt the staff hit either armor or scales that it had under it's robes. Then he tried to get behind it to hold it in place, but the demon grabbed Miroku by the tunic and threw him. As Miroku was flying towards the ground, he felt a strong breeze travel just inches above him. Just as he was hitting the ground, he saw Atrene duck down to avoid the Hiraikotsu. 'She cares for me too much,' he thought. 'If she had thrown it a second sooner, she could have made direct contact and the village would have been safe.'

"Kuukuu," the monster laughed. "Human compassion is so pointless. So we may as well get rid of the humans." He pointed at Inuyasha. "You're strong for a human. You will help bring about the end of your people."

"I don't think so, you rotten filth," Inuyasha said. "I have no intention to hurt another human or demon if I don't have to. I'll help you with nothing."

"No you will help me," Atrene said. His eye flashed again and Inuyasha felt a pain deep inside his head. "You will help me bring about the end of this village, tonight."

"Inuyasha, what happened? Are you okay?" Miroku's voice said, barely audible inside Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha was hearing another voice inside of his head. 'Ah,' it said. 'So you were the half-demon that I smelled earlier. And you are only this weak on a night of the new moon. And this ultimate weapon, Tetsusaiga, does you no good in your human form. I'll make sure that I kill you before you regain your will. I'll kill you right after I make you kill this Kagome woman you care for so much.'

Sango stepped forward and started to reach out to Inuyasha's shoulder. Miroku grabbed her hand before she made contact. "Don't bother him. He has been taken over by the demon's influence. It happened when the eye flashed."

"Oh," she said, covering her mouth. "What are we going to do now?"

Atrene laughed. "I've already told you what you'll do. You will die." At that moment, Inuyasha pounced.

Sango barely had time to bring Hiraikotsu up between her and Inuyasha before his fist slammed into it. Inuyasha kept punching and slashing at Sango while she struggled to block each attack. Inuyasha barely sensed three sutras land on his back, but they didn't affect him in any way. Inuyasha sensed Miroku coming up behind him. As Miroku swung the staff at Inuyasha's feet, Inuyasha pushed against the Hiraikotsu with his arms and used that momentum to kick him in the chest, causing him to fly backwards.

Miroku stood and clutched his chest. 'He's stronger now than he is when he's a half-demon,' Miroku thought. 'I don't think we could kill him in this state, let alone subdue him.'

Sango let the Hiraikotsu absorb another attack, then instantly tried to swing her weapon directly into his gut. Inuyasha grabbed it with one hand barely an inch from his stomach and shoved it backwards into her ribs. Sango let out a pained gasp and crumpled to the ground.

"You have resisted me for as long as I will allow," Atrene said. "Now you will be killed by your very own comrade. Now kill them, half-demon."

Inuyasha took a step towards Sango. "Get up, Sango," Inuyasha called out in a strained voice. "I'm not being able to stop myself. Run."

Atrene took a step backwards. "He's not supposed to be able to think on his own anymore. It must be the demon blood that's deep inside him." Then he smiled. "This is even better, Inuyasha. Witness the deaths of your friends from your very own eyes because while your mind might belong to you, your body is still mine."

Inuyasha drew back his hand and prepared to make a fatal strike on Sango. Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's arms and tried to restrain him. It only took a second of struggling for Inuyasha to throw the monk to the ground beside his wife. Miroku tried to get up and between Sango and Inuyasha, but he had no more strength left.

Inuyasha aimed his fingers at Miroku's chest. He didn't have any claws, but he had the power to break though the flesh and penetrate the monk's heart. "Go, please," he uttered. He started his strike and Miroku closed his eyes, expecting to die within the second. He heard Inuyasha mutter the word "Kagome". When he opened his eyes he saw Inuyasha starring towards the heart of the village. He looked to see what had captured his friend's attention. Kagome was standing there in the distance holding a bow and arrow that was aimed directly at Atrene. 'Kagome,' Miroku thought to himself. 'She should run. I don't think that she can stop this monster.' He looked down at where Inuyasha's hand had frozen just inches above his chest. 'We're in no shape to defeat it either.'

"Let my friends go, now!" Kagome yelled. "This sacred arrow is aimed straight at your heart. If this arrow touches you, it will purify you to the very core."

Atrene smiled. "Why if it isn't the dog's little wife? You can't harm me because you care too much for your husband and your dear friends. If you kill me, you have to kill your husband, too."

Kagome didn't relax any. "I know my husband better than anybody. If living means being controlled by a fiend like you, he would rather die. I warned you and you didn't listen. Now you will die." Kagome released the sacred arrow, which went whizzing towards Atrene.

"Kukuku," the demon chuckled. "So you care so little for your friends. You will be the one to send them the grave."

Inuyasha felt his body forced to run towards Atrene. 'No,' he thought. 'The bastard is going to use me as his shield. As bad as dieing is, it's worse that my death will allow him to return and cause even more harm. I have to resist with everything that I have.'

Atrene watched as the arrow quickly approached. Then he turned to see that Inuyasha was still coming towards him, too. 'Good,' Atrene thought to himself. 'With this half-demon's soul, I will continue my immortality. Eventually someone will emerge that can defeat me, but I will come back to live after they are dead. But in the meantime it is so fun to make families and friends kill one another.'

Inuyasha was closing in towards his destination. 'I'm not going to be able to stop myself. I won't be able to protect Kagome, because this stupid bastard will use me to protect himself. I just hope that she will escape after I'm gone.'

Kagome felt a tear trickle down her cheek, but she continued to watch every detail of what was happening. 'I just have to have faith in myself. I will save my husband and my friends,' she thought to herself. 'I cannot fail them.'

Atrene smiled as he saw Inuyasha leap directly in between him and the arrow. 'Now victory is mine.' He saw the arrow just a few feet away from them.

Inuyasha watched as the arrow came at him. 'What luck I have?' he thought sadly. "To be shot down by two women that I loved in one lifetime. Once again, we're being used as pawns for demons who believe they are stronger. This is almost more than I can bare.' He felt a burning wave of anger sweep over him. 'I will not give up this easily. I'll tear this bastard to shreds.'

Atrene frowned. 'He's resisting more than I thought. I'll have to focus more than before to control him.' His eye flashed once more. 'Now you will be an obedient dog and die protecting your master.'

At that moment a voice echoed through the village. "SIT, BOY!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs. Inuyasha felt a great pressure pull down on his neck and body that forced his body towards the ground. As his face was colliding into the ground, he felt a gust of wind as the arrow passed just over his back. Then he heard Atrene roar in anger and pain. Then he felt two arms grab his hands that started to pull him away from the dying necrotoma. He looked up and saw Miroku dragging him away. Then Inuyasha felt the ground slightly shake as Atrene's remains fell to the ground right behind him. He looked back as the demon's influence began to lift.

Atrene snarled, over half his body burned away by the sacred arrow. "This is not the end, Inuyasha." He reached over with his withered arm to where the old man lay and wrapped his hand around his neck. "Now the future will pay for your peace." Atrene crushed the man's neck with a quick snap. "Kukuku," he laughed, as the rest of his life flowed from his ravenged body.

Inuyasha slowly stood as Kagome ran up to them, tears in her eyes. "Are you back, Inuyasha?" she asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Heh," he grunted. "I never went anywhere. I just didn't have control of myself."

Kagome gave him a warm embrace. "Good, I'm glad your alright."

"I'm glad that you were here to protect me," Inuyasha said, returning her hug.

They turned towards Miroku and Sango. Miroku was helping Sango sit up. Kagome went over and knelt down beside them. "Is she okay, Miroku?"

He had a worried look on his face. "I think she'll live, but she won't be able to move around for a while." He started to pick her up.

"No, let me," Inuyasha said, picking Sango up and draping her over his back. "I caused these wounds, so I should help her to Kaede's hut."

"Very well," Miroku said. He started walking in the direction of Kaede's hut, followed closely by Inuyasha and Kagome. He turned back and asked Kagome," Did you see if the kids escaped or not?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I passed them and Kaede on my way here. They were running towards the woods."

"Good," Miroku said. "I'm relieved that they're okay. After we get to her the hut, you can go and fetch the villagers back, Inuyasha. Kagome, I hope you have plenty of medicines from your world stored there?"

"Um, yeah," Kagome answered, sounding distracted. "Yeah, there should be plenty."

After walking quietly for a few moments, Kagome broke the silence. "Inuyasha, in the morning after everything has calmed down, we're going to have a talk."

"I hope it's about finally figuring out how to take off this infernal charm from my neck," Inuyasha said.

"No, it's not about that," Kagome said, keeping her serious face. "It's a bit more important than that." Then her face lightened. "About that, Kaede showed me how to take that off a year ago. I've just forgotten to do it. It does look so nice on you after all."

Inuyasha turned and thrust his finger in his wife's face. "You're telling me that you could have took it off before now. I was thinking that you didn't trust me or something."

Kagome gave an embarrassed laugh. "You shouldn't talk to your wife like that. Besides, you should have just trusted in me that I trusted you."

"Trust you that you trust me! What the hell kind of logic is that?"

Miroku held up his hands. "Hey can we keep going? Sango does need medical treatment."

"Sorry," the two of them said, and continued on to Kaede's hut.

* * *

Present day Japan

Inuyasha was slowly waking up from a dream of his past. He rubbed his head as he struggled to wake up. 'I've never slept this soundly,' he thought. 'I feel more like I've been knocked out.' He rubbed the grogginess from his eyes and tried to focus on his surroundings. He realized that he was on top of his kids' dresser. He tried to quietly lower himself to the floor, but he bumped into the dresser, causing one of Miori's pictures to fall over with a small clatter. He stumbled over to check on the children. It was then that he felt like his blood had run cold. He ripped the covers off of Hiro's bed, then did the same to Miori's. He stumbled back against the dresser.

"No," he weakly muttered. Then he drove his claws into his shoulder. All of the fog that remained in his head lifted as pain flooded his senses. He stood still and sniffed. "I can't hear my children. I can't smell my children. Where are they?" Then he let out a pained growl that rattled the windows.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Hopefully this chapter is alright. It felt a bit awkward, probably because it's mostly to set up the next one. If you can make it through this one, maybe you can really enjoy the next one.

* * *

Kagome sat on the couch, her eyes red from crying. 'How could this have happened?' she thought. 'This was supposed to be the safe place to raise a family.' Her mother sat beside her, holding her hand. She couldn't think of anything comforting to say to her daughter. How could she say anything that could take away the pain that her children could be in danger.

The two of them jumped as they heard a loud crash out in the entryway. They were getting up to see if the children had returned when Inuyasha stepped into view. She had never seen Inuyasha look like this before. He was slumped over like he could no longer had the strength to stand up straight. His eyes were red from crying, too. His shirt was ripped at the shoulder where he had wounded himself. The wound was still fresh and the stain continued to spread. She knew that the wound was the last thing on his mind.

"I couldn't find a trace of them," he said weakly. "Their smell just disappeared. I can't even smell them now." He rested his face against the doorway and sniffed. "Even when they're at school, the smell doesn't fade. Our scents are absorbed into the very walls of this house. If I can't smell them here, it's almost like they never existed."

"Don't say that, Inuyasha," Kagome said. She wrapped an arm around his waist and tried to lead him to the couch. "Mother could you get the first aid kit from the kitchen?"

"Yes, Kagome," her mother said, and left the room.

Kagome peeled back the part of Inuyasha's shirt that had been ripped so she could get a better look at it. "This looks awful," she said. Then she looked at his face. "Do we call the cops?"

Inuyasha sighed. "No, there's nothing they can do. If they were taken, it wasn't a mere human that did it. There isn't any way that smells can disappear like that. Especially specific ones like just the children." He looked his wife in the face. "I think a demon took them."

"How is that possible?" Kagome asked. "This is modern Japan. We left those behind in the Feudal Era."

"It isn't that much of a stretch," he said. "The times changed and this technology stuff advanced. Demons that were stronger than humans eventually lost the advantage to better weapons and were mostly wiped out. But I bet some went into hiding. Some that are able to take human form probably live normal lives. And those that can't live beside humans probably live in the isolated parts of the world like jungles and mountains."

"Do you really believe that there are some who still exist?"

"It's the only explanation," Inuyasha said, standing. "I've been able to live here for almost eight years. I bet there are others that have learned to disguise their looks or their smell."He knelt down and kissed his wife on the forehead. "I've rested enough. I have to keep looking for them." He started to head back to the door, but Kagome grabbed his arm.

"At least let me tend your wound," she said.

Inuyasha began to argue, but changed his mind when her mother returned. "Okay, he said, sitting back down. "Just be quick about it."

Inuyasha sat impatiently while Kagome treated his injury. After a couple minutes, they all heard the front door open and close. Inuyasha instantly stood and readied his claws. Fortunately for their visitor, he called, "Hello, sis, Inuyasha, I came as fast as I could after I got the message."

"We're in here," her mother called.

Souta appeared in the door frame. "Is it true that Hiro and Miori were kidnapped?"

Inuyasha's head drooped in shame. "Yeah, it's true."

Souta let himself fall back against the wall. "Uh," he grunted, miserably. "What have the police found?"

"We haven't called them," Kagome said. "We believe that some sort of demon got them. The police aren't experienced to deal with that."

"Then why aren't you tracking them, Inuyasha?" Souta demanded. "Why haven't you found them?"

"Calm down, Souta," Kagome said. "He's tried his best. Whoever took them was able to wipe out their scent completely."

"Let him yell," Inuyasha said. "He has the right to be angry at me. I failed to protect them so I should be punished. They were right under my nose."

"Don't say that, Inuyasha," Kagome's mother said, patting his arm. "There is still hope that they're fine."

Silence descended on the room for a few moments. "Where's your sword? Your Tetsusaiga?" Souta asked. "I would think you would have it with you now."

"We don't know. It was taken, too," Kagome said.

"Then that means that it was a human," Souta said. "You always talked about how a demon couldn't touch the Tetsusaiga."

"If it was a human, I could have tracked them down before they could even think of escaping. They would have left a scent or made a sound that would have woke me up," Inuyasha said. "There are ways around the Tetsusaiga's protection, though . It could have been a half-demon like me. Sesshoumaru once replaced his arm with that of a human and was able to wield it."

"So, what are you going to do?" Souta asked.

"I'm going to go back out there and see if I can find any trace of them." Inuyasha touched the bandage that Kagome had just put on his shoulder. "Thanks. Stay here in case the monster or the children return."

Souta took out his keys. "I'll drive around the city to see if I can find them. I'll call if there's anything to report."

Kagome's mother took her cell phone out of her purse and handed it to Inuyasha. "You need one, too."

"No, I don't need one of those things."

"What if the children do come back?" Kagome asked. "If you have that, I can call you and let you know. You do remember how to use it?"

Inuyasha studied it. "Yeah, I think I remember what to do. I'll be back as soon as I can." He put the phone in his pocket and dashed from the room. Souta waved at his mother and sister and left, too.

The two worried women sat back down on the couch and looked out the window. The sky was just beginning to change from black to blue. "I hope Inuyasha is able to find the children by nighttime. Tonight is the new moon."

* * *

Inuyasha had been jumping from rooftop to rooftop, trying to find any trace of Hiro and Miori. He had searched almost all of the city and was beginning to get tired. He sat down on the top of a large building, continuing to sniff, trying to sift through the almost unlimited numbers of smells for the two he loved the most. He listened with his sensitive ears and couldn't detect their voices. He glanced up at the sky. He saw that the sun had already passed the halfway point. 'Damn,' he thought. 'Only about eight more hours before I become even more useless to them. I have to find them.'

He stood and was about to leap to the next building when he heard a shrill whistle rattle his eardrums. He grabbed his head in pain. 'That's no ordinary dog whistle,' he thought through the waves of pain. Then the whistle sounded again, much softer this time. The whistle continued to go off every ten seconds. After hearing it two more times, Inuyasha quickly turned and leaped to the other building. 'It's to the east and it isn't moving. Somebody's trying to lure me there.'

After three minutes of leaping, Inuyasha finally found the source of the whistle. From his vantage point on top a of a tall restaurant he saw a middle-aged man standing across the street with what looked like a cigar in his mouth and reading a newspaper. The man was just a couple inches over six feet tall with the build of a football player. He was dressed in a gray suit and tie, with a dark pair of sunglasses. As Inuyasha continued to stare the man looked up at the half-demon and showed a cold smile.

Inuyasha felt a shiver go down his spine. 'It was almost like something told him I was here,' he thought. He almost felt too impatient and wanted to jump down from where he was, but Kagome had always stressed about him not making a scene. Inuyasha knew that jumping from a building would be considered 'making a scene.' He quickly made his way to the other side and looked down. There was nobody in the alley, so Inuyasha gracefully dropped down into it. Then he quickly adjusted his cap to make sure his dog ears were hidden.

He made his way out onto the sidewalk. He checked to make sure that the man was still there. The man had put out his cigar, but continued to read his newspaper like he hadn't seen anything. Inuyasha impatiently waited for the walking sign to allow him to cross the street. He occasionally wished that he was back in the Feudal Era, especially when he had to wait for something simple like this. 'If I didn't have to wait, I'd already be throttling him for where the kids are at.'

Once the light changed, Inuyasha rushed across the street, rudely bumping a couple of people out of his way. He walked directly up to the man and shredded the man's newspaper as he continued to read it. "Where are my kids at? If you don't answer in ten seconds that will be your neck."

The man folded up the remains of his paper and put it underneath his armpit. "Mr. Inuyasha, I've been told that you were brash, but I wasn't expecting that." He took off his sunglasses and looked at the half-demon with his cold pale eyes. "That really isn't the way to talk to the people who have taken such precious things from you."

Inuyasha lost his temper. "They are not things. They're my children." He aimed a punch right at the man's chest. He heard a chuckle, and suddenly his hand had been enclosed inside of the man's giant hand. He tried to push forward, but the man seemed unmovable. Inuyasha sniffed the air. "You're human. No matter how strong a human is, they shouldn't have been to stop my punch like that."

"Perhaps you have been living amongst humans too long and have let their weaknesses rub off on you," the man said. Then he gave Inuyasha's hand a sharp squeeze, but the half-demon refused to show any pain. "I will let go if you will promise to be civil. I am not here to fight, though I could kill you right now."

Inuyasha glared at the stranger. "Alright," he finally said. "I won't attack you again. Not right now anyway."

"Good," the man said, giving a cold smile and releasing Inuyasha's hand. "I actually just have a short message for you and your wife, Kagome. That is her name, right?"

Inuyasha slowly nodded.

"You two are to be in front of the school where she teaches at eight-thirty tonight. It is the school that's a couple miles from your home, right? The one with the nice playground where you and Hiro and Miori play sometimes while waiting for Kagome to finish up?"

Inuyasha refused to acknowledge the man's scare tactics. "Be at the school at eight-thirty. Alright, can I have my children now?"

The stranger laughed. "No, we will take you to see them tonight. My master won't be ready to see you until then. And tonight will be quite dark without the moon. We don't want you to get lost on your way."

The half-demon let out a soft growl, but managed to stay in control. "But they are still alive, right?"

"Yes, from what I was told. They will be alive when you see them. After that, their lives will be in your hands. Just make sure you show up. My master will not hesitate to kill them if you refuse to show yourself." The man put his sunglasses back on and straightened out his suit. "Don't bother following me, because I'm not going there until I drive you there. You should spend this time with your wife. This may be the last day you see each other." Inuyasha watched the man as he walked off down the sidewalk and out of sight.

* * *

Kagome looked at the clock for the hundredth time. It still said 5:47. She gave Inuyasha's hand a squeeze. They were sitting on their couch, quietly waiting for the time to go meet the stranger at the school. Kagome's mother was sitting in one of the chairs with her hands folded in her lap. Souta was dozing while leaning against the wall.

The utter silence was about to drive Kagome mad. She wanted to talk to her family, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She almost jumped as she heard her husband begin to say something.

"Kagome, you need to quit blaming yourself," Inuyasha said. "You wanted to return here because you truly believed they would be safer here. If I thought you were wrong, I would have told you so. I had actually been thinking the same a few months before that attack anyway." He sighed. "If anybody should feel guilty, it should be me. I said I would protect you and the kids here or there, no matter where we were. I was to one that failed."

Kagome started to argue that point with her husband, but her mother beat her to it. "Neither of you should be ashamed. You have been the best parents that you could be. The true problem is that we live in an imperfect world. No matter how much you try, sometimes you just fail. That's why our job is so important. We can make the world a little better, but it's our children and the values we pass on to them that can truly change whatever world you live in for good. You have both shown them what courage, determination, and, most importantly, love are and how important they are. When you get Hiro and Miori back, you should continue to show them how to live. Through them, you can make wherever you live better."

Inuyasha and Kagome nodded. After a few more minutes of silence, Inuyasha said, "Thanks." He got up and gave his mother-in-law a hug. Then he made his way upstairs. The rest of the family heard him rummaging around upstairs for a couple minutes before he returned. "Here, Kagome," he said, handing her three arrows.

"What should I do with these?" she asked.

"Do your priestess stuff to make them sacred. If I can get close enough to this bastard tonight, I'll stab him through the heart with one of them and purify him. I'm still sure that the master is a demon."

"But won't they hurt you if you have them?"

"I'll only have one," Inuyasha said. "You need the others in case you get attacked. And it won't hurt me much. Once we leave here, it probably won't hurt me at all. It only hurts people with demon blood, remember?"

"Right," Kagome said, taking the arrows. "I should be able to do this before we have to leave." She focused as she started to pass her purification powers into the first arrow. Inuyasha showed a very small smile as he sensed her tension ease a bit as she occupied herself with her task. Now he had to concentrate on preparing himself for the long night ahead. He somehow felt more confident after hearing what Kagome's mother had to say, but he still didn't feel quite like himself. He could already feel the very beginning of the transformation.

He looked at the clock which said 6:12. He really hated having to wait.

* * *

Inuyasha and Kagome were standing in front of the school when a black car pulled up. The same man who had met Inuyasha earlier got out of the passenger side and opened the back door. "In you two go. I'm betting the little kids are anxious to see their mommy and daddy."

Inuyasha motioned for Kagome to go ahead and get in. Then he followed after giving the stranger a stern glance. As the first man got back in, the man in the driver's seat pulled back out on the road.

The first stranger turned back around and looked at Inuyasha's black hair. "I like what you did with the hair, but you didn't have to get all dressed up for our sake's." He laughed and turned back around.

"Keh," Inuyasha quietly grunted and put his hands in his coat pockets. He felt Kagome scoot over and lean her head on his shoulder. The feeling of his wife beside him made Inuyasha relax a little. The warmth of the sacred arrow that was taped to the back of his shirt also provided him with some small comfort as they continued to ride in silence.


End file.
